Name: ViamarieFrom: PhilippinesAbout me: I am a proud mother to a very talented daughter, loving grandma to an intelligent seven year old boy and a cute baby girl and lastly a dutiful wife to a retired aquaculture specialist. Aside from my real family, I also belong to a large family and that is the people I work with in the health facility that I have been managing for 23 years.

I truly miss blogging. Tried very hard to get back to it after my trips (US and Asia) and the many major projects we have in our hospital but I still am finding difficulty. I will try my best to find time in 2008. Well anyway, I pray that you all will have a peaceful and joyous celebration.

Have you ever in your life called a "time out" to reflect on what has been working for you and to put an end to what isn't? Maybe not recently. Don't you think it's time to do so because we have become so entrenched in habits which are not moving in the direction of our goals?

Have you observed patterns in your life? Most of us have a particular type of "luck" - good or bad - that is with us all the time. Take time to pay attention to these recurring events because it's telling us something.

There are actually no accidental patterns. There is something inside us that attracts certain people and events into our life. Just like an office colleague who told me yesterday that she constantly feels being put down by our co-workers. This I think reveals that, at some level, she believed she deserved to be treated in this manner.

One of the most destructive thing we can do according to Jeff Keller, author of the article "Full Life On Line" is to deny that we are responsible for creating the patterns in our own life. Blaming external factors such as other people or the economy of the country for our problems, will just make us frustrated and remain stuck to the situation.

So whether or not we notice any patterns, it is best that we call a time out on a regular basis. Examine what is wrong and what isn't then make the necessary adjustments.

As I was going through my mail today, I read this article by Liz Curtis-Higgs and I couldn't help but share it with you.

WANNA BE A PUMPKIN?

A woman was asked by a coworker, "What is it like to be a Christian?"

The coworker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then he cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., and then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

I'm back. After almost 2 months of absence from the blogging world, I can say I really missed all of you. I'm not sure what exactly happened. I just felt like life is just a routine. I do the same things over and over until I cannot help but feel bored and restless. Wake up in the morning, go to work, get home, blog, surf the net, sleep, and wake up again. To do what? To go to work again. The cycle continues. It may be enjoyable at first, doing what I do. But right in the middle of it, sometimes I cry out and say, "I need a break!"

When I reached this point of staleness, I just had to stop. I then decided to take a break. Breathe. Relax. Maybe the problem was I had taken everything so seriously, squeezing away all the fun and excitement life offers.

Last week I had the luxury of getting away from it all for a while- away from everything that gave me anxiety, fear and stress. It was not escaping from my responsibilities. It simply meant taking a much-needed temporary break.

And as I did this, I took time to reflect and look into myself. What had I been investing my life into? Evaluated present relationships. Thought of questions like, "What had I been pursuing in my life? Was I growing as a person" Had my character been strengthened lately? What had I been struggling with?"

I am very thankful that the break became a source of motivation - to inspire me to face the coming days with renewed strength and a fresh vision. It's like starting all over again. The break also made me look up, realign my life with God's direction and realizing that He has been watching me all along, waiting for that cry for help.